Essex fight back after fast Leicestershire start

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford (day one)

Leicestershire 333: Budinger 89, Weatherald 61, Eskinazi 50; Snater 3-59

Essex 10-1: Elgar 9*

Essex 3 pts, Leicestershire 2 pts

Match scorecard

A rollocking second-wicket stand between Sol Budinger and Jake Weatherald was followed by a loss of impetus as Leicestershire gently subsided to 333 all out on the opening day against Essex.

The left-handed pair went off at a rate of knots, sharing 19 fours and three sixes, in a partnership of 125 from 22 overs that questioned Tom Westley's decision to give them first crack on another Chelmsford wicket with plenty of grass left on it.

However, when both men departed either side of lunch, Weatherald for 61 from 77 balls, Budinger for 89 from 114, that earlier exuberance was not sustained and Essex grew into the game.

Apart from Stephen Eskinazi's bright and breezy 50, no other Leicestershire batsman was able to dominate.

And with the exception of a wayward opening over, Wiaan Mulder was the pick of those Essex attack.

The South African all-rounder bowled with real menace and asked questions of the batsmen, particularly with deliveries that reared up outside off-stump, and fully deserved figures of 3-70.

Left with three overs to negotiate in the evening sunshine, Essex lost nightwatchman Sam Cook to the second delivery of the innings, nowhere near a fine delivery from Ian Holland.

Nightwatchman number two, Jamie Porter, was then sent in, though Dean Elgar needed little protection as he took successive boundaries off the Leicestershire captain as Essex reached stumps at 10-1.

The loss of Rishi Patel to Cook's seventh ball of the day – caught behind off a tentative forward-defensive push – united Budinger and Weatherald, who took the game to Essex in a whirlwind of power hitting.

Weatherald was in such a rush that he brought up the 50 stand with five boundaries in eight balls, three of them in succession off Cook, who had earlier been flicked nonchalantly over square leg for six by Budinger.